 The heads of the fathers' houses of the clan of the people of Gilead the son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of the people of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the chiefs, the heads of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel. 2 They said, “The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the people of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 3 But if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the people of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. So it will be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. 4 And when the jubilee of the people of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”
5 And Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, “The tribe of the people of Joseph is right. 6 This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whom they think best, only they shall marry within the clan of the tribe of their father. 7 The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8 And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the people of Israel shall be wife to one of the clan of the tribe of her father, so that every one of the people of Israel may possess the inheritance of his fathers. 9 So no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another, for each of the tribes of the people of Israel shall hold on to its own inheritance.’” 10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses, 11 for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to sons of their father's brothers. 12 They were married into the clans of the people of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father's clan. 13 These are the commandments and the rules that the Lord commanded through Moses to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. Meditation God is faithful to His promises. God will lead His people through the wilderness by His word. God will protect the steps of the saints when we trust in His covenant faithfulness. In Genesis 27 Jacob had stolen the promised blessing of Esau by deceiving their father Isaac. God was not going to allow His promised inheritance to transfer between Jacob’s children when they entered the promise land. God’s word gives a guarantee of economic and residential security when He declares the land will not be transferred from one tribe to another (7, 9). God’s word guarantees the inheritance of His people. The daughters of Zelophehad illuminate a path for God’s people to walk through the wilderness into the promised land, by faith in God’s Word. They humbly come before leaders with a question of inheritance (2-5), wondering if land will transfer should they find spouses from another tribe. Their obedience to God’s Word is held out as an example and acts as an emphasis at the end of the book. “The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses…” (10) is quickly followed by the last verse of the book: “These are the commandments and rules the Lord commanded through Moses…” (13) Will God’s people obey as the daughters of Zelophehad did? To walk by faith is to walk in the Word of God, trusting God to secure the promised inheritance for His people. All God’s promises are “YES!” in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20) and Christians walk by faith through totally trusting the word and work of Jesus. Richly Dwelling -What stands out to you about the faithfulness of God to His promised inheritance and the humble faith of the women who come for discernment? -Where do you lack trust in God’s promises and walk by sight rather than faith? -The work of Jesus gives ground on which we can find a new path to walk by faith, moving through the wilderness to enjoy His promised blessings. WHERE do you need to respond to God’s grace by hearing God’s word and obeying, giving security to your steps in wilderness wanderings? Be specific. Key Verse 10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses… Comments are closed.
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